Monday, October 18, 2004

Yanks circle bases, Sox circle wagons
BOSTON -- The Yankees kept circling the bases, battering Boston's beleaguered pitching staff. By the time the long, long night ended with a devastating 19-8 romp over the Red Sox, the dreaded New Yorkers were just one game away from a shocking sweep.

Bostonstays alive
BOSTON Down to their last three outs of the season, the Boston Red Sox rallied against Mariano Rivera, the New York Yankees and decades of disappointment.

Cards get no relief against 'Stros
Beltran did it again, homering in a record fifth straight postseason game and lifting the Astros over the St. Louis Cardinals 6-5 Sunday to even the NL championship series at 2-all.

Bonds again linked to steroid use
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Baseball commissioner Bud Selig expressed concern Saturday about fresh allegations that Barry Bonds used performance-enhancing drugs in 2003 and said they are further cause for a tougher policy on steroid use to avoid tarnishing the game.

Soldotna's Mabeus completes solid year in minors
Chris Mabeus, a Soldotna High School graduate and an alumnus of the American Legion Twins baseball program, recently completed his fourth season of professional baseball with the Oakland Athletics organization.

Kardinals thunder to three-peat
Boom. For the past three years, the Kenai Kardinals have been powered by an unrelenting running game that has relied heavily on handing the ball off to running back Dakota Craig. So late in the fourth quarter, tied 14-14 with archrival Soldotna, where do you think Kenai turned?

Brown bear hunt closes
The 2004 Kenai Peninsula fall brown bear season was certainly short, but it's too early to tell how many hunters will think it was sweet.

Now Playing: Sean of the Dead
Sean of the Dead is one of those rare films that, somehow, is able to transcend it's genre to become something wholly unique; in this case a zombie movie with real heart, true characterizations, and clever, sharp-edged humor. Whatever it is that allows this film to break barriers the way it does is a quality that is hard to grab hold of. Other films have tried to do the same thing this one does and have failed miserably. Not often to you have multiple genres co-exist comfortably in the same space. There is only one that comes to mind, 1981's American Werewolf in London, a movie that shares much in the way of tone and style with Sean. It has to do, I think, with a film's true affection for its characters. Instead of typical stock characters, little more than fodder for the great gore machine, Sean plays it serious and sweet, giving the characters real emotions and invests real time in their development. They're funny, yes, but not at the expense of their depth. Sean is an everyman, and we relate. He has troubles with his girlfriend and his stepfather. He hates his job and his roommate's a consummate slob. It's easy, therefore, to slip into a mindless routine. We've all felt like him, at a loss, tired of the day to day drudgery. Luckily, however, we haven't all had to fight off legions of the undead. Yet.

Alaskans should say 'yes' to ban on bear baiting
A 2002 Dittman Poll showed approximately two-thirds of Alaska voters opposed the unsportsmanlike hunting practice of baiting black bears. Subsequently a voter initiative petition garnered more than 30,000 signatures, which resulted in Ballot Measure 3 in this November's election.

'Day of Caring' work adds sparkle to office
I would like to thank "Dream Team," those wonderful Unocal retirees George Ford, Joe Harris, Glenn Fliggord, Jack Heck, Leon Quesnel and Harold Flood, for a "Day of Caring."

Johnson sweeps Lowe's
CONCORD, N.C. -- Jimmie Johnson thought he needed a victory to jump back into contention for the Nextel Cup championship.

Winter Games committee likes what it sees
With a year and a half to go before the 2006 Arctic Winter Games come to the Kenai Peninsula, Games organizers acknowledge there's a lot of work left to do. But following a visit from international observers from around the arctic this week, it appears as if plans for the Games are on the right track.

School board members sworn in tonight
Three Kenai Peninsula Borough School District board members are scheduled to renew their oaths of office during the regular school board meeting, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday at the Borough Building on Binkley Street in Soldotna.

Alaska Day being celebrated today
In observance of Alaska Day, today, the following offices will be closed: Kenai and Soldotna city halls; Kenai and Soldotna public libraries; and the Kenai Public Health Center.

Fish and Game group gets earful on inlet policies
Frustration over the state's fishing policies in Cook Inlet got a thorough airing Wednesday evening during a discussion between the Kenai-Soldotna Fish and Game Advisory Committee and representatives from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Hearing in the works for Soldotna
The Alaska Board of Fisheries will hold a public hearing on the Kenai Peninsula before its regular meeting on upper Cook Inlet finfish regulations, which is scheduled for Jan. 17-29 in Anchorage.

PFD options include planning, investing
If you requested direct deposit, this year's dividend $919.84 was placed in your account Wednesday. Those who requested checks by mail should receive them in a week or two.

Sherman Bruce Pritchard
Kenai resident Sherman Bruce Pritchard died Friday, Oct. 15, 2004, at his home after fighting a three-year battle with lung cancer. He was 83.

POMV proposal limits spending, protects dividends
With Alaskans' 2004 permanent fund dividends safely deposited in bank accounts and with the general election less than three weeks away, it's a good time to resurrect debate over how the Alaska Permanent Fund is managed.

Getting out vote crucial to both Bush, Kerry campaigns
WASHINGTON With the televised debates behind them, President Bush and Sen. John Kerry have little opportunity to shape further the presidential race except by waging an intense effort in the home stretch aimed at getting out the vote.

'Man, it's a mean political season'
WASHINGTON -- Virginia car-service driver Cecil Rust glances at the rearview mirror and asks his passenger, ''Why is politics so mean now?'' Halfway across the country, Angela Warren of St. Louis says she will skip her first presidential election out of disgust -- ''There's so much hate.''

Community Schools
The following list of Soldotna Community Schools classes and activities beginning this week is printed as a reminded to preregistered participants. Anyone interested in a class or activity should call the Community Schools office at 262-6768.

Communitywide effort yields 500 bears for athletes
The Kenai Peninsula Quilt Guild presented the first 500 hand-quilted "Spirit Bears" to the 2006 Arctic Winter Games Host Society recently and the guild is working to complete 1,500 more by the start of the 2006 Arctic Winter Games.

Nikiski men strengthen interests in Scottish Highland Games
On a crisp, overcast fall afternoon not long ago, two large men stepped onto a damp and dusky Nikiski field. Dressed in the same battle garb worn by able-bodied Scotsmen when Robert the Bruce won independence for his people on the fields of Bannockburn in the year 1314, these modern gladiators set out to continue a Celtic tradition older than golf and as beloved as haggis.

United ready for postseason play
WASHINGTON Mike Petke headed in Freddy Adu's corner kick in the 64th minute, and D.C. United beat the MetroStars 3-2 Sunday night in a tuneup for their first-round playoff series.

Kenai's awesome twosome
Kenai Central's version of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid rode off into the sunset Saturday, taking with them one last bit of loot.

Hockey-mad Canada braces for long winter
MONTREAL -- Instead of the beloved Canadiens, rock bands Van Halen and Incubus will be playing soon at the Bell Centre. ''Hockey Night in Canada'' -- must TV viewing for fans from Newfoundland to Yukon -- has been replaced by a triple bill of Hollywood films, starting off with Disney's ''Dinosaur.''

Ketchikan football team ends six-year skid
KETCHIKAN -- If coaches Blaine Ashcraft and Richard Cropp have anything to say about the future of Ketchikan High School football, this season will have been a building year and not a fluke.

Mariners sweep Skyview quad
Seniors Kendra Lucas and Vanessa Williams helped lead the home Panthers to a second-place finish at their last home quad meet with strong showings in individual and relay events Saturday at Skyview High School.

Kings spoil Yao's Chinese finale
BEIJING, China Yao Ming scored 13 points in front of another friendly crowd, but Bobby Jackson made a fallaway jumper from the right corner with 6.7 seconds left to lift the Sacramento Kings to a 91-89 win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday.

Patriots clip Hawks
FOXBORO, Mass. The New England Patriots got another victory but quite a scare as they extended their NFL record for consecutive wins.

USC leading poll at crucial time
On the eve of the season's first Bowl Championship Series standings, No. 1 Southern California increased its lead on No. 2 Oklahoma in The Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday.

Badger fumble recovery shocks Purdue
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Scott Starks returned a fumble by Purdue quarterback Kyle Orton 40 yards for a touchdown in the closing minutes to lift 10th-ranked Wisconsin to a 20-17 win over No. 5 Purdue on Saturday.

Soldotna netters take bronze pool
The Soldotna High School volleyball team won its pool Saturday at the Dimond-Service volleyball tournament in Anchorage, defeating Lathrop in the championship game.